Strap and method of making the same



Feb. 28, 1939. A, ACKERMAN 2,149,201

STRAP AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed April 10, 1957 Alberi fl. Ackerman Wifnedy I NM. I'm, W W

Patented Feb. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STRAP AND METHOD' OF MAKING THE SAME Application April 10, 1937, Serial No. 136,070

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in straps and in the methods of making straps, the invention having for an object to facilitate the production of straps made from superposed strips of material.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved strap having a finished end suitably shaped to meet requirements of the strap.

The invention consists in the method of making straps and in the straps formed as hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawing and as pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates, in perspective, the end portions of superposed strips of material as initially joined by one form of a crossseam. Fig. 2 illustrates, in perspective and partly in section, the finished end-portion and an adjament unfinished portion of the strap. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section of a finished strap intermediate the ends thereof.

In the formation of straps and similar articles made from superposed strips of material by securing together the inturned side edges of said strips, difficulty has been experienced in suitably finishing the ends of the straps. In accordance with the present invention, strips I and 2, which are preferably substantially equal in width, are lengthwise superposed, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The superposed strips are joined by a stitched cross-seam 3 preferably, although not necessarily, disposed adjacent one end of the strips. In order to provide a rounded finished end for the strap, the cross-seam 3 may be curved as illustrated in Fig. 1, so that the end stitches of said seam are directed away from the adjacent ends of the strips and extend substantially lengthwise of said strips intermediate the side edges thereof. It will be understood, however, that while the cross-beam 3 is preferably made to terminate between the side edges of the superposed strips and 2, it may be made to extend entirely across said strips and that it may be either straight or curved, as may be preferred.

The end portions of the strips I and 2, outside of the cross-seam 3, may be trimmed off, if desired, to remove surplus material, as illustrated by the dot-dash lines A--A and 3-3 shown. in Fig. 1; or said end-portions may be otherwise trimmed either before or after stitching the cross:- seam 3, or said end-portions may be left untrimmed.

The joined strips l and 2 are inverted substantially on the line of the cross-seam 3, thereby inturning the end margins 4 and 5 of said strips between the strip-plies and forming edge-folds 6 and l which, in. the case of the particular crossseam illustrated in Fig. 1, and in analogous crossseams, extend partly along the opposite side edges of the inverted strips. It will be understood, of course, that the cross-seam 3 now is likewise disposed between the inverted strips and that the stitches thereof do not penetrate and are concealed by the outer plies of said inverted strips.

The longitudinal side edges of the inverted strips l and 2 are now inturned and preferably to form edge-folds 8 and. 9 which are substantially continuous with the previously formed edge-folds 6 and 1 adjacent the end stitches of the cross.- seam 3, thereby smoothly joining said edge-folds and providing even side edges for the strap. The edge-folds 8, 9, are secured by lines of stitches II] and II extending lengthwise of the strips l, 2, adjacent the edge-folds 8, 9, said stitches penetrating the outer plies as well as the inturned side margins of the strips. The edge-folds 8, 9, may be formed and the securing stitches l0 and II made in one operation, as for example by employing a two-needle sewing machine provided with the strip-folder of my patent application Serial No. 136,071 filed Apr. 10, 1937. It will be understood, however, that the strip side edges may be infolded and stitched in. separate operations, if preferred.

While the finished end of the strap has no visible cross-seam, it is nevertheless closed and has the same thickness as the side margins of the strap, and said finished end may be formed in any shape suitable to meet requirements of the strap.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. The method of forming a strap, comprising lengthwise superposing strips of material, joining together said strips of material by a cross-seam terminating within the side edges of said strips, inverting the joined strips substantially on the line of said seam, inturning the side edges of the inverted strips, and securing together the superposed inturned side edges of the strips.

2. The method of forming a strap, comprising lengthwise superposing strips of material substantially equal in width, joining together said strips of material by a cross-seam terminating at its opposite ends between, the side edges of said strips, inverting the joined strips substantially on the line of said seam, inturning the side edges of the inverted strips, and securing together said inturned side edges of the strips by stitches forming seam lines extending lengthwise of said strips.

3. The method of forming a strap, comprising lengthwise superposing strips of material substantially equal in width, joining together adjacent ends of said strips of material to provide superposed free side margins, inverting said strips substantially at the end-joint thereof, inturning the side edges of the inverted strips, and securing together said inturned side edges of the strips by stitches forming substantially parallel seam lines extending lengthwise of said strips.

4. The method of forming a strap, comprising lengthwise superposing strips of material substantially equal in width, joining together adjacent ends of said strips of material by a stitched cross-seam terminating at its opposite ends in stitches extending substantially lengthwise of said strips, inverting said strips substantially on said cross-seam, inturning the side edges of the inverted strips to form edge-folds continuous With the edge-folds of said strips adjacent the end stitches of said cross-seam, and securing together said inturned side edges of the strips.

5. A strap comprising superposed strips of material having inturned side and end margins, said inturned end margins being secured together by a seam free of the outer plies of said strap and terminating within the side edges of said strips, and said inturned side margins being secured together by lines of stitches extending lengthwise of and penetrating the outer plies of the strips.

ALBERT A. ACKERMAN. 

